Museum Home Research and Conservation Restoring Ancient Bronzes in the Nineteenth Century

Date: Friday, May 6, 2011
Time: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. with reception to follow
Location: Getty Villa, North Campus Meeting Rooms
Registration: CLOSED as program is at capacity.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Apollo from Pompeii: Investigating an Ancient Bronze on view through September 12, 2011 at the Getty Villa, this one-day program considers the wider context of bronze restorations in the nineteenth century, utilizing both archival research and technical analysis. With the Apollo Saettante as a starting point, restoration work in Naples will be of primary interest, but speakers will also consider comparable activities throughout Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

Key themes include methods and materials used; approaches to ancient surfaces and re-patination; the development of technical knowledge; the role of modern bronze foundries and industrial production; and individual restorers and their working relationships.

Confirmed speakers:

• Sophie Descamps, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
• Lucia Fucito, Fonderia Chiurazzi, Naples, Italy
• Seán Hemingway, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
• Henry Lie, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Carol C. Mattusch, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
• Luigia Melillo, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Naples, Italy
• Erik Risser, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
• David Saunders, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
• Salvatore Siano, Istituto di Fisica Applicata Nello Carrara, Florence, Italy

Schedule as of March 23, 2011 (39 KB)

Exhibition and Experiment: A History of the Royal Bourbon Museum (public lecture)
Presented by Andrea Milanese, Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei, Naples, Italy

Date: Thursday, May 5, 2011
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Getty Villa, Auditorium
Admission: Free; a ticket is required and must be obtained in advance. Call Getty Visitor Services at (310) 440-7300 or use the "Get Tickets" button below.


The collections of the Royal Bourbon museum—now the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, Italy—were greatly enriched in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by finds from excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii. Art historian Andrea Milanese discusses the history of the Museum and its evolution as a center for the restoration of antiquities.

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